Villordsutch reviews Judge Dredd Megazine #362…
Welcome to you squaxx dek thargo! It’s been a while since I’ve picked up a copy of the Judge Dredd Megazine. Having been somewhat more engrossed in the Mega-Collections and the numerous Graphic Novels being released showing us the glory days of 2000AD, I’ve let slip my thoughts on the current modern brilliance of what is 2000AD and Judge Dredd Megazine. So without further ado and with me quitting the jibber-jabbing I’ll begin.
Judge Dredd – El Maldito (Part 2)
As ever walking in on a “Part 2” of a story is a hindrance for any newcomer to a tale, but even with the few threads left dangling in the air from master story-teller Gordon Rennie you can – through this episode – pick up the gist of what is occurring in this downtrodden Mexican-style village. El Maldito (Google Translate is your friend here) is a local, unknown, hero inspiring an uprising amongst the workers, however something larger is going on than a simple rebellion. With Dredd following up the Maldito problem and Cranston – from the Accounts Division – investigating the money side of things this suddenly becomes bloody. With the rather brilliant Dredd artwork given to us from the great Carlos Ezquerra the opening chapter of the Megazine is a bit of a belter.
Demon Nic. – (Part 2)
Demon Nic. from Paul Grist is rather an odd one and to be brutally honest for the look and style of the strip I really liked it; however – and unfortunately this is a big however – it didn’t feel right in amongst the rest of the Megazine. This may sound a tad cruel, but I appreciate this style of art and in its own comic I possibly would have enjoyed it more, but here it didn’t fare well in my view.
Storm Warning – The Relic (Part 2)
Written by Leah Moore and John Reppion, this slice of Brit-Cit crime by the sea is rather fantastic. Albeit again a second chapter it seems a very much self-contained story involving a trip to a Gulshaw, described as a North-West England Beach location, and it’s here that our Psi-Division Officer Lillian Storm – who can communicate with the dead – and colleague come to investigate two missing officers. Storm Warning is an excellent tale and it’s made even better from the art by Tom Foster and colours from Kirsty Swan.
Lawless – Between Badrock & A Hard Place (Part 2)
This chapter feels like a short episode from Dan Abnett inside this issue, but that could be because we have a gun blasting stand-off. Nerys the clerk is inside the Marshalls Office, left to defend herself and the wanted killer Mr Crabtree, however the gun wielding killers outside the office don’t really give a damn if they cut-down Nerys in the crossfire they’ll soon be generating. In this blazing episode it’s the already amazing artwork of Phil Winslade that is called up to make this gun battle shine, and it really does.
Tale of the Month
For me this has to be Storm Warning – The Relic by Leah Moore and John Reppion. This could be an extremely haunting Future Shocks with an additional page or two, but knowing this is part of an extended story makes it that bit more brilliant. The artwork and colouring from Foster and Swan works amazingly well, instantly separating this story from the rest of the comic and making the tale standout amongst the rest. Storm Warning – The Relic is one to look out for in this issue.
Splundig Vur Thrigg!
Villordsutch likes his sci-fi and looks like a tubby Viking according to his children. Visit his website and follow him on Twitter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng&v=rTcdL3-dh2c
Originally published July 15, 2015. Updated April 13, 2018.
